Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you need to know how to disinfect carpet without a steam cleaner? You wouldn’t be the only one! Steam cleaners are costly machines to have in your home and bulky to store.
While a vacuum cleaner is very effective in removing dirt, dust, and debris that has accumulated in your carpet, it’s only good for your daily cleaning and not sanitizing. Your carpet may be free of dirt and dust, but it still holds a lot of germs and bacteria. Disinfecting your carpet as you clean it is the only way to get rid of any bacteria present in the carpet.
There are many methods on how to disinfect carpet without a steam cleaner that can still be effective in killing all bacteria in your carpet. Here are some steps you can follow to give you great results.
How To Disinfect Carpet Without Steam Cleaner: Methods
Schedule time to clean your carpet
This may seem like an odd method to begin with, but the truth is that cleaning your carpet thoroughly can take some time. Possibly even more than you thought!
In order to make sure that you clean and disinfect your carpet, make sure to schedule out your time. If you have a lot of carpeted areas or rugs in your house, you may want to avoid cleaning them all in one day. Cleaning your carpet thoroughly requires a lot of energy, and you don’t want to get tired out in the middle of a cleaning session.
Clear the cleaning area
Remove all the furniture on the carpet you want to clean. If there is the furniture you can’t move, wrap the legs with plastic or foil to prevent damage from the water.
Vacuum the carpet
Before you start cleaning, give your carpet a good vacuum to remove dirt, dust, and debris that can be easily removed by the vacuum. Focus mostly on the places that get a lot of traffic and vacuum slowly to make sure you get all the dirt.
Sprinkle some baking soda on your carpet and let it sit for about 10 minutes to pre-treat any stains on the carpet while you prepare your cleaning mixture.
Mix cold water, mild dish soap, and vinegar
Fill a bucket with cold water, vinegar, and a few drops of soap. Don’t use too much soap, because it will be hard to rinse it from your carpet. This is a good mixture for cleaning and effectively disinfecting your carpet.
However, first test it on a small unnoticeable part of your carpet to make sure it doesn’t damage or discolor your carpet. Carpets made from organic material like wool or silk can’t be cleaned with this solution.
Scrub your carpet gently
Dip your sponge into the cleaning solution and start scrubbing your carpet gently. Be careful not to saturate the carpet with the solution. Get your carpet just a little bit wet. To make your work easier and to avoid stepping on the already cleaned area, start from the corner and work backward. Clean the carpet in small portions. Change the water depending on the size of the area you’re cleaning or if the water gets dirty.
Use a brush to scrub
This is the difficult part of cleaning your carpet. Get on your knees and scrub your carpet with a scrubbing brush.
Be careful not to scrub the fibers too much. Don’t be too quick, pace yourself.
Also, use a rag to help with deep cleaning, blotting after you scrub. This will help your carpet look like new after you’re finished.
Rinse your carpet
Once you’re through scrubbing, change the cleaning solution out for cold, clean water. Use a rag to rub your carpet to remove the dirt and soap on your carpet. Start at the corner where you started cleaning and work your way backward. Re-saturate the rag with clean water or use a new one.
Dry the carpet
There are several ways you can dry your carpet.
- Use dry towels by simply placing them on the wet parts of your carpet and pressing firmly to absorb the water. Continue this process until the carpet is completely dry.
- If you’re trying to dry an area rug or some other removable carpet, take your carpet outside to sun dry if it’s a dry sunny day. However, don’t place your carpet directly under the sun, as this may discolor and damage the carpet fibers.
- Use fans, air conditioners, or dehumidifiers if you have any to speed up the drying process. Or open the windows to allow air to freely circulate in the room.
Disinfect your carpet
To sanitize your carpet, there is an easy alternative to how to disinfect the carpet without a steam cleaner. Put equal parts of water and vinegar in a spray bottle and spray it on your carpet. This is a quick and effective way to keep your carpet disinfected for a long time. You can do this at least once a week.
This method may not be the same as using a steam cleaner to deep clean your carpet, but it will leave your carpet clean and free from bacteria. The best part is you will have saved some money and had a great workout in the process.
Vacuum the carpet again
To make sure that your carpet is completely clean and that there is no more dirt, vacuum the carpet again. This will remove any soap residue left behind and fluff up your carpet to its original state.
Conclusion
To keep a clean carpet and save some money, vacuum it regularly to prevent dirt from settling. You also need to remove stains as soon as possible. Leaving stains on your carpet for a long time will make it harder to clean them off. To remove any odors or smells on your carpet, sprinkle baking soda once a week, then vacuum it.
Avoid wearing shoes on the carpet as they carry a lot of dust and dirt. Use a cleaning brush to remove any large particles that fall on your carpet.